Store-service apparatus.



No. 867,804. PATENTED 0013, 1907.

H. J. mfins & P. e. AULT.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1- venfow;

I PATENTED OCT. 8, 1907. H. J. DAVIS & P. G. AULT.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MARv 19. 1907.

EETS-SHEET 2.

No. 867,804. v PATENTED OCT. 8

H. J. DAVIS & P. AULT. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 19 1907 a SHEETS-SHEET a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- HENRY J- DAVIS AND PLAYFAIR e. AULT, or BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

To all whom'itl may concern: r

t Be it known that'wefHENnY J. DAVIS and PLAYFA G. Aum', citizens of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jefferson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Store-Service Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Ourpresent invention pertains to improvements in store service apparatus; the construction and advantages of which will be hereinafter'set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 is a front-elevation of the apparatus, portions being broken away to more clearly disclose the structufre; Fig. 2 a vertical sectional view, taken on the line 22.of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a horizontal sectional view, taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 a vertical sectional view, taken on the 1ine'4-4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 a similar view, taken on the line 5-5 of-Fig. 1; and 6 a perspective diagrammatic view showing a modified arrangement of actuating means for causing the movement of the shelves in bne or the other-direction.

The object .of the invention is to provide an appa ratus wherein a series of shelves carried by endless belts or chains may be positioned so that anyone shelf may be brought to the desired level and caused to come to rest at thatpoint.

The invention may be said to comprise endless'belts or chains with a series of shelves attached thereto, combined with means for causing said chains to run in one or the other'direction, and an 'automaticdevice operating in conjunction with the shelves to throw the mechanism out of operation and thus arrest the movement of the endless chains or belts.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 5-inclusive, A denotes a casing or housing'in which the endless chains or belts.

wheels D, E are mounted upon the opposite side of the'casin'garid a third sprocket F. is secured tothe driving shaft G. The sprocketsB, G, D, E and B", 0

D; Ef are idlers: and an endless chain H or H is passed about each set of sprockets and about the driving sprocket F or F. Cross-bars or rodsliextend from one to the other, and shelvesJ are-suspended from said rodsj Each shelf is'pr'ovided witha forwardlyextending projection Kfthe projectionsuponthe vari- 'ous shelves'standirng outofalinement, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Said projections be provided with a numeral to designate the particular shelf.

A rocker-shaft L extends across the front the frame or casing, theishaft being provided with aspline or Specification of Letters Pa.tent.

- Application filed March 19, 1907. Serial No. 363,186.

vmounted band-pulleys V and W.

Patented Oct. 8, 1997.

' feather M, said spline working through a spline-way or seat formed in a lever N mounted upon the shaft. The leyer extends inwardly-in the path of the projections K, and by preference will be provided with an antifriction roller 0, which will contact with the projections K as the shelves are moved up or down. The lever is pro-. viddw-ith a handle P by which it may be shifted longitudinally of the rocker-shaft L to bring the roller 0 into alinement with one or another of the projections K, as desired.

The shaft L will be provided with a scale or gradua- A tions corresponding'to the position of the projections K, so that the operator may, by merely shifting the lever, bring it into alinement with the projection of any par.-

ticular shelf. 1 A

As will be best seen uponreference to liigs. 1 and 3,

the shaft L extends to tire leftof the casing, and is pro- ,vided with a depending arm Q,-which in turn is' connected with a shifter arm' R for the sliding clutch-member S. Said member is mounted upon a shaft T, driven 1 by a suitable motor U, and upon which are loosely -X denotes a second shaft arranged parallel to the shaft T andprovided with band-pulleys Y and Z. A

crossed belt a passesabout the pulleys V and Y, and'astraight belt baround the pulleys Wand Z.

The clutch member is shown in its medial position in the drawings, but when it is thrown into connection with one or the other of the clutch members secured to the pulleys V and W motion will be imparted to one or the otherof said pulleys, and consequently the 'shaft X will be rotated in one or the other direction. Said shaft is provided with a .worm .0 (see Fig. 5) which meshes with a worm-wheel d secured upon the outer end of the shaft G. Any motion imparted to the shaft G-and to the endless chains H and H will cause the shelves to ascend or. descend, according as the clutch member S is thrown into operative relation with the clutch member of thepulley V or of pulley W. The operator can, therefore, by shifting the lever'N along the shaft L so asto bring it into alinement with the pro- I The shelves being consecutively numbered, the 'op-- I erator will throw the lever up or down so as to cause the g 'shelf to take the shortest traverse to the point whereit' is desired it shall come to rest.

In Fig. .6 is shown a modification of the'mechanism ,for controlling the movement of the chains. In said figure L represents the actuating shaft which extends across their-opt of the apparatusand is provided, as in the former case, with a lever Saidshaft carries two double-pole switchj aims e and f which, s shown in said figure, close the circuits 9 and h, respectively, one circuit being open while the other is closed. be noted that with the arm e in the position shown in full lines the current will pass from themotor in one direction, and when the shaft is rocked to the full extent in the opposite direction the circuit 9 will be opened and the circuit h closed. In the medial positi on, or that shown in dotted lines, both circuits. will be open and the motor denergized and therefore the driving mechanism brought toa standstill. With this arrangement the motor will be connected to theshait G by a suitable gearing interposed between said shaft and the motor.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In combination with a pair of endless chains or belts; a series of shelves suspended therefrom, each shelf being provided with a projection extending forwardlyfrom the same, the projections of the various shelves bein i out of alinement; a rocker-shaft; a lever slidably mounted upon said shaft and adapted to be brought into alinement with one or another of said projections; driving mechanism for the chains or belts; and connections intermediate said rocker-shaft and the driving mechanism, whereby when the lever carried by the rocker-shaft comes in contact with one of the projections on the shelves the shaft will he moved and the driving mechanism thrown out of action.

2. In combination with a pair of endless chains or belts; a series of shelves pivotally supported therefrom; a projection extending out from each of said shelves, the projections standing out of alinement; a rocker-shaft; a lever mounted upon said shaft and slidable longitudinally there It will of; a motor for actuating said endless chains or bells; and connections between the rqcker shaft and the motor for causing the motor to drive the chains in one or the other direction.

3. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of a housing; series of sprockets mounted upon the opposite side walls of said housing; an endless chain passing ahout.each series of sprockets; shelves suspended from said chains; :1 projection extending outward from the forward face of each shelf, said projections standing out of alincment; a rocker-shaft; a lever slidably mounted upon said shaft and adapted to be struck by one or another of said projections according, to the adjustment of the lever; a motor for driving the sprockets and thus impart ing motion to the chains; and connections internmliaie said motor and the rocker-shaft, whereby the motor may be thrown out of or into action to cause the chains to travel in one or the other direction and to come to rest when a particular shelf has reached the desired position.

4. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of a pairof endless chains or belts; :1 series of shelves pivotally supported therefrom, each of said shelves being provided with a projection extending outward from the forward face thereof; means for driving the chains; and adjustable means enacting with the projections on the shelves to arrest the motion of the driving means, whereby any particular shelf may be brought to position and the movement of the driving chains arrested.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

nnnnr J. DAVIS. PLAYFAIR G. AUL'l.

Witnesses J. I. PERKINS, H. G. Comma. 

